


The Best Birthday Gifts Are A Surprise

by akimikono



Series: Tumblr Requests [3]
Category: Naruto
Genre: 21st Birthday, Birthday, F/M, Genma is a flirt, Kurenai is a good friend, Kurenai pretty much sets you guys up whoops, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Prequel, Surprise Party, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-29
Updated: 2017-11-29
Packaged: 2019-02-08 06:18:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12858579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/akimikono/pseuds/akimikono
Summary: It's your 21st birthday and Kurenai decides to take you out to celebrate. Little do you know she has set up a surprise party for you at a local cafe, and there's a certain someone she wants you to meet.Prequel to The Best First Date Ever - Considering It's Flu Season(Tumblr request for litkatkim)





	The Best Birthday Gifts Are A Surprise

If there was ever a time when you wished to disappear, it was now.

Kurenai, one of your friends, had spent all day with you for your 21st birthday. She picked you up at your apartment early in the morning (too early for you, but you managed to get enough caffeine in you before she arrived so you didn’t look  _too_  dead), took you out to breakfast, and then walked you through the village to do some window shopping. A little before noon, Kurenai excused herself to run into a shop to “pick up a few items” she needed. You waited outside for a while before she reappeared with two rather high-end shopping bags on her arms and a happy smile on her face.

“Do you want to get lunch?” she suggested.

“Sure! Where did you have in mind?”

Kurenai guided you down the street, the bags swinging on her arms as she took the lead. “There’s a nice little place just up here. I think you’d really like it.” Kurenai walked you towards a small building and steered you into a casual-looking cafe. The walls were full of large, clear windows without curtains or blinds, letting in the afternoon sun; the cafe was filled with sleek wooden tables and bright yellow upholstered chairs. It was surprisingly busy and there was already a large group of people in the cafe, sitting at a row of tables in the middle of the room that they had pushed together. The tables were littered with cups and sake bottles, but no food. You tried to edge away from the loud group and towards a window seat but Kurenai seemed oddly drawn to the people and she grabbed your shoulder, smiling as sweetly as ever.

“Where are you going?” she asked.

“O-Over here? I thought we could sit … uhm, no?”

Kurenai shook her head and pushed you forward towards the large group. “I think we should sit over here.”

“But why?”

A few of the people at the tables looked over and perked up, waving at Kurenai.

“Oh,” you said, voice thick with dread, “you  _know_  them.”

“Yes, I do. And I think it’s about time I introduced them to you. Don’t you want to meet my friends?”

“Not really … I mean, no offense!”

Kurenai laughed softly and nudged you forward. “This’ll be good for you. They all want to meet you. And I’m pretty sure there may be one or two you’d  _love_  to meet.”

“Right …”

Kurenai stood before the tables and proudly announced your presence to the group. Then she went about introducing them all to you - handfuls of different names you barely had time to remember, one thrown at you right after the other. You realized they were all ninja, and it put you on edge a little bit; you were the only non-shinobi in the cafe at the moment. Would you even have anything to talk about with them? You knew nothing about weapons or fighting or the politics of keeping the village safe. Would they like you? Would you even be able to  _speak_  to them? There were so many of them … and they were all total strangers. All their eyes on you, watching you, taking you in.

Suddenly in a chorus of a dozen voices, there was a loud cheer (some more enthusiastic than others, you were pretty sure some only grunted) of, “Happy birthday!”

Yeah, you definitely wanted to disappear.

Turning to Kurenai in horror, you muttered, “You planned this!”

“Of course I did,” she said, still smiling as she guided you to your seat between herself and the silver-haired ninja she called Kakashi. “It’s your 21st birthday and I wanted to do something special for you. Now sit down! We’re going to order you lunch and then we can all get to know each other. I mean,  _you_ will be getting to know  _them_.”

With as much betrayal on your face as you could manage, you sat down reluctantly between the two ninja and folded your hands in your lap.

“So … what do you like to do?”

You looked up to see a ninja with shoulder-length hair and a bandanna on his head staring at you. What was his name? Genna? Gamma? He chewed on a long needle and narrowed his eyes at you. Your face flushed red at the attention and you stammered.

“Uh, th-things.”

“Things?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Okay. What kind of things?”

You shrugged uncomfortably and pressed into the back of the chair, wishing you could escape. “Just … things.” Quickly you looked away, afraid of what kind of judgmental gaze he was giving you. Instead you met the sparkling eyes of the ninja dressed in a green jumpsuit; you remembered his name - Gai. Not like you could ever forget someone like him. He gave you the brightest smile you’d ever seen in your life and a big thumbs up.

“Happy birthday!” he bellowed, but his cry didn’t bring any attention which surprised you. He must’ve done stuff like that quite often. “I hope you have a truly joyous and youthful day! You deserve only the best! We appreciate you spending this most special time with us! You have a wonderful friend in Kurenai!”  

“Yeah …” you muttered, momentarily reconsidering your friendship with the kunoichi.

“How’d you meet Kurenai?”

You turned back to see the same needle-chewing ninja as before, staring at you intently. He leaned his elbows on the table and folded his hands together. Drat, what  _was_  his name? Gebbo. Ginko.

“Oh! Uh … w-well, I actually hold private dance sessions. She asked if I’d do a few lessons with her students to teach them different moves and stretches that could help them with their, er, ninja training. You know, m-many athletes take dance classes!”

“Is that so?”

“Y-Yes.”

He nodded as if thinking it over and rolled the needle to the other side of his mouth. “So you dance? You any good?”

“I-I think I’m fair. I … make a living teaching other people how to do it. So … yes?”

He nodded again. “Okay, so you dance. That’s something you like to do. Right? We’re making progress. What else do you like to do?”

You looked to Kurenai like a child seeking its mother for help but she was busy talking with Asuma - the only other person who you knew at this party. Admitting to yourself that you weren’t going to get any help, you turned back to Grab Bag or whatever his name was and racked your mind for what you liked to do. “I … like movies.”

“Yeah? What movies?”

Crap. “Uhm … you know, like … the ones they show in the movie theater here.”

“Huh. Descriptive. Do you read?”

“Mhm.”

He pointed beyond you, “You read that?”

You looked over to Kakashi who was holding a bright orange book and seemed unperturbed at being a reference point. You tried to glance over his arm at the content but he seemed to sense you and shifted away. “I … don’t think so.”

A waiter appeared and you realized you hadn’t even given the slightest glance to the menu. Scrambling to look it over, you frantically tried to choose something inexpensive and easy to make.

“It’s your birthday,” Kurenai said gently, touching your shoulder, “don’t worry about it, okay? I’m paying for you.”

“You can’t -”

“I can and I will and I’m going to. Just choose what you want. You only turn 21 once. You should enjoy it.”

Through your guilt, you decided on a menu item and ordered alongside the other ninja at your table. The conversation shifted among the small groups around you, but Goku (Gazebo? Godzilla?) continued to try to get answers out of you. How long have you taught dance? Did you like this cafe? How often do you hang out with Kurenai? Do you know any other ninja? The questions weren’t too invasive but they came at such a rapid speed you were having a hard time processing what was happening, but you managed to reply nearly as quickly - though you couldn’t quite recall what you’d said. It was almost like he was trying to size you up to see if you were a suitable addition to their friend group.

Halfway through lunch, a ninja with a burned face - you remembered him to be Raidou - turned to the ninja with the bandanna and said, “Are you up for training later, Genma?”

You slammed your hand down and shouted, “Genma!”  _That_  was his name.

Five people turned to look at you, including Genma. He quirked one eyebrow and rolled the needle over his tongue.

“Yeah? What do you need?”

Was it possible to have this much blood rushing to your face? You shrunk away and looked at your plate. “N-Nothing! S-Sorry, I just wanted to say I - I also like … music.”

A playful smirk crossed his face and he looked at Raidou. “Yeah, that’d be fine.”

Feeling foolish, you stuck your fork into your food and mashed it until it was unrecognizable. Lunch ended, most of the people paid and left with a few parting words of “happy birthday” or “happy 21st” and scattered into the village. Soon it was just you, Raidou, Genma, Kurenai, and Asuma. The atmosphere of the cafe seemed to change immediately and Kurenai stood, placing the two bags on the table.

“Here you go,” she said.

“What’s this?”

“It’s your birthday present, of course. You didn’t really think I wouldn’t get you one, did you?”

Stuttering out a thanks once you realized it was useless to refuse it, you tried to bow but hit your elbow on the table and the dishes clattered against the wooden top. Genma and Asuma laughed not unkindly and you covered your face in shame. At least you hadn’t faceplanted into your plate.

“Asuma and I are going now. Will you be alright …?” Kurenai’s eyes shifted to the two men sitting across from you and a knowing look settled on her face.

“I think so … thank you, really! For breakfast and - and lunch … and my gifts! I really don’t deserve so much kindness!”

“You do,” Asuma said quickly, “and now if  _you_  would be so kind, we have our own date.” He ushered Kurenai out of the cafe, leaving you alone with Genma and Raidou.

Raidou cleared his throat and stood from the table. “I should be going too. I’ll meet you at the training grounds?”

“Mhm,” Genma replied.

Raidou gave you a quick nod and a soft “happy birthday” before leaving as well. You clutched your gift bags to your chest and rose suddenly, bumping into the table again.

“Well I better be goi -”

“Why are you in such a hurry?” Genma reclined in the chair, arms behind his head, smirk on his lips. “Do you not like me?”

“H-Huh? N-No -”

“No?”

“I mean - no, I … I … d-do?” You weren’t really sure what you were saying anymore and you weren’t sure if it mattered.

Genma sprang forward and jumped to his feet, nodding towards the door. “You want to go?”

“Are … Are you … telling me to leave?”

“No, I mean did you want to take a walk with me?”

“Aren’t you meeting your friend?”

Genma chewed on the needle some more and shook his head, walking around the table. “I’ll meet up with him in a bit. But I want to talk to you first.”

“Why?”

“Jeez, you’re difficult aren’t you?”

“I - I don’t mean to be! I’m sorry!”

Genma eyed you for a bit and when you decided to look away he pulled the needle out of his mouth and said, “How about dinner?”

“What?” you mumbled, unsure if you heard him clearly.

“Dinner? You and me?”

“R-Right now …? We just had lunch.”

“No - what? Not now.”

“Later? Today? That’s n-nice of you but I don’t think I can accept anything more for my birthday.”

Genma’s eyebrows pulled together and he stared at you with a serious look of confusion. “ _Not today_.” He took a deep breath and said slowly, “I want to take you out to dinner - like, a date. How about in two weeks? I’m pretty busy until then.”

Your eyes widened in shock and you stared at him in silence, hands shaking and bags trembling against your chest. Was this really happening? You had barely said three words to the guy (okay, more than that but repeating "Mhm" and "Yeah" didn't really count), and now he was asking you out? This didn’t seem right. What was his deal? You weren’t even a ninja, so why would he bother? It’s not like you’d engaged in a rousing conversation during lunch; you merely spat out single-word answers to his version of 20 Questions.  _Had Kurenai set this up?_ You made a mental note to passive-aggressively get back at her for this.

Genma must have read the confusion and apprehension on your face because he quickly said, “You know, you’re really cute when you act shy. And I figured if I didn’t ask you out, we’d never get anywhere.”

You? Cute? Were you hearing things? The cafe suddenly felt warmer than a sauna and you were sure you looked like a tomato. You forced yourself to speak, as painful as it was.

“Y-You want to go on - on a date? With - with me?”

“Yeah. Is that alright?”

You nodded, moving to cover your face with your hands but hitting yourself in the chin with your bags instead. “Ow! Uh … y-yeah, that’s f-fine! I mean … it - it’s great.”

“Good. How about this curry shop outside of the village? It’s kind of small and pretty far removed, so there shouldn’t be a lot of people there. You … don’t strike me as the social type.”

You would have been embarrassed if it wasn’t so true. You bit your lip and slowly lowered your arms to your sides. “That … That sounds w-wonderful. I … I’d r-really l-lo-love to … to do that.”

“Alright.” Genma popped the needle back into his mouth and smiled. “Two weeks from today. Meet me at the village gates and we’ll walk together to the shop. Does that work?”

“Mhm.”

Genma huffed through his nose in a sort of laugh, “It’s a date then. I’ll see you in two weeks.”

Totally flabbergasted that you’d been able to make such plans with such a cute guy with such few words, you merely nodded and watched him head towards the cafe exit. When he reached the doors, he turned around and gave you another smile. “By the way - happy birthday.” Then he left the cafe and strolled down the street.

You collapsed back into your chair and squeezed the bags in your hands. Had that really just happened? You pinched yourself to make sure - yep, it had. You couldn’t believe it, but it was real.

Barely containing a squeal, you hurried out of the cafe and back to your apartment. Your date wasn’t for another two weeks but you had to get home and scour your closet  _immediately_. It’d take you at least fourteen days to decide on the perfect outfit - and maybe go over a few imaginary conversations in your head. Maybe Kurenai making you meet all her friends wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

Maybe, just maybe, when you saw her again, you’d thank her.  


End file.
